| Cannabis
Canadian Indigenous pot superstore entrepreneur has trouble finding employees. The Star reports, “Tim Barnhart has a problem that few Indigenous entrepreneurs before him have ever experienced.
“With annual sales of more than $20 million at Legacy 420, his cannabis superstore on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in eastern Ontario, Barnhart has no difficulty meeting an annual $3.7-million payroll.
“The struggle is finding local Indigenous workers to take the myriad jobs Legacy 420 now offers in the business of growing, testing, guarding, transporting, processing, bottling, baking and selling 60 strains of high-grade marijuana to an increasingly far-reaching and enthusiastic customer base.”
Nine states and DC legalize recreational marijuana. NCSL reports, “Nine states and the District of Columbia now have legalized small amounts of marijuana for adult recreational use.”
Pot causes 125K British hospitalizations. The Daily Mail reports, “The devastating effect of cannabis on Britain’s mental health can be revealed for the first time…
“As campaigners call for the drug’s legalisation, shocking figures obtained by The Mail … show that it has caused more than 125,000 hospital admissions in the last five years.”
Big Pharma companies close or sell antibiotic development divisions. WIRED reports, “In early October, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new antibiotic: Nuzyra, generic name omadacycline. Omadacycline is a tweaked version of a tetracycline, a class of drugs that have been around since the very beginning of the antibiotic era; it works against skin infections and cases of pneumonia.
“The approval was notable because there aren’t many new antibiotics these days. It’s expensive to build or search for a new compound and it’s challenging to get buyers to pay prices high enough to offset that investment. That mismatch has forced big legacy companies to close or sell off their antibiotics development divisions: Novartis last July, and AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Sanofi before that, going back to Pfizer exiting the market in 2011.”
Most patients want post-op opioids. Politico Prescription Pulse reports, “The vast majority of surgery patients perceive opioids as the most effective form of pain relief — and expect prescriptions after surgery despite the risk of addiction and other side effects, the American Society of Anesthesiologists found in a survey presented at its annual meeting…”
Election
No mudslinging in Senate’s 8th. MetroNews reports, “Mudslinging is not in the campaign playbooks for the two West Virginia Senate candidates in the 8th District, which covers parts of northern Kanawha County and Putnam County, leading up to the Nov. 6 general election.
“’I wish we could be the example for some of the other races that I see,’ said state Senator Ed Gaunch (R-Kanawha, 08) of his re-election bid against Richard Lindsay, the Charleston attorney and Democrat who’s challenging him.”
Three vie to replace Folk. Herald-Media reports, “A 2018 Shepherd University graduate, a small-business owner and a licensed funeral director are vying for the 63rd District seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates in the Nov. 6 general election.
“Sam Brown, John Hardy and Brett Rogers are vying to replace Del. Michael Folk, who is running against state Sen. John R. Unger II for Unger’s seat in the West Virginia Senate’s 16th District.”
Impeachment
Senate adjourns without course of action. WCHS reports, “After not deciding on a course of action on the impeachment trial of state Supreme Court Justice Margaret Workman, the West Virginia Senate on Monday voted to adjourn until called back by the Senate president.”
…Will ask court to reconsider action. MetroNews reports, “The … Senate is moving toward asking the state Supreme Court to reconsider some aspects of its ruling that has blocked an impeachment trial for Justice … Workman.”
…Workman vindicated. The Daily Call reports, “This acting, quasi, sort-of-but-not-really West Virginia Supreme Court vindicated Workman in its decision… The panel explained that the legislature exceeded its authority by impeaching Workman for violations of the state judicial ethics code. The state constitution provides that only the Supreme Court — not the legislature — can enforce the code, meaning only the Supreme Court itself has power to sanction Workman.”
…Candidates say they’re the ones to restore public confidence. The Associated Press reports, “West Virginia Supreme Court candidates took turns touting themselves as the best option for restoring the public’s confidence in the court system following an impeachment shakeup…”
…Say the court’s integrity is at stake. MetroNews reports, “While each of the nine candidates for the Division One seat of the West Virginia Supreme Court have different resumes and legal experiences, all of them agreed the integrity of the state’s high court is at stake this November.”
New rule requires list prices to be included in TV drug ads. Axios reports, “The Department of Health and Human Services formally rolled out a proposal … that would require drug companies to include their products’ list prices in their TV ads , similar to the way they disclose side effects.”
…Sets stage for battle with pharmaceutical industry. The New York Times reports, “The proposal sets the stage for a battle with the pharmaceutical industry, which said the requirement would be a form of ‘compelled speech’ in violation of the First Amendment.”
Health
Indiana hospitals face penalties for patient readmissions. WNDU reports, ”The federal government says 80 percent of Indiana’s hospitals face penalties totaling $12 million for having too many patients who returned for care within a month of their discharge.”
Polio-like illness continues to spread. Everyday Health reports, “Health officials report an unusually high number of cases of a rare polio-like illness known as acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) that causes muscle weakness and paralysis, usually in children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated it has received reports of 362 cases of AFM across the United States since August 2014, and 38 cases have been reported in 16 states so far this year — already exceeding last year’s total of 33 cases.”
West Virginia was ground zero in opioid crisis when Dr. Gupta become chief health officer. WOUB reports, “When Dr. Rahul Gupta started work as West Virginia’s chief health officer his state was already ground zero for the opioid epidemic, with some of the nation’s highest rates of addiction and overdose fatalities.” |
